CD Reviews

Graham Parker: The Nipper Years

Tim Brough | Springfield, PA United States | 04/02/2008

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Graham Parker had a four album stint on RCA that is condensed into this 18 song collection. The albums The Mona Lisa's Sister, Live! Alone In America, Human Soul and Struck by Lightning were of this period, and they chronicle Parker's gradual shift from Angry Young Man into Average Domestic Man. While this shift was evident as far back as Another Grey Area, calculating the balance of themes on this best of, 10 of the songs deal with relationships and mostly in a contented way.

In Parker's case, this is a pretty good thing. While no one is going to mistake him for James Taylor, a song as warm as "I'm Just Your Man" is miles away from Squeezing Out Sparks' sneering "Local Girls." That Parker also delivers this (and the homage to Sam Cooke "The Sun is Gonna Shine Again") without a trace of irony speaks to his growth over the years. There's also the fine "Brand New Book" and "Wrapping Paper."

The pungent barbs are still there, though. His best known song from this period, "Get Started. Start a Fire" is a lost single and smolders in the way his best early work still does. The politically charged "Soul Corruption" unleashed some of the old vitriol, and the music industry takes in on the chin ala "Mercury Poison." The previously unreleased "That Thing Was Rocking" and "Success" (from "Mona Lisa") take square aim at the world of popstars and prefabs, and when Parker hisses "suck-sessssss" in the later, it's the passionate crank we've known and loved. The sad thing is that after MLS, Parker's albums and audience dwindles to his fanbase even as his work became richer and more sophisticated.

Whittling the four RCA albums down to their essence helps confirm that fact. While this CD has been out of print for a while now, it's going used for cheap. Most of the other best ofs have skipped this period, so all the more reason to pick this one out."